That Which Blooms In Between
by Shinra-ex-SOLDIER
Summary: Ruby comes home with their mission rewards which turns out to be just a basket full of roses. Weiss is not too happy about but she lets Ruby braid her hair with them anyways. — It's not just the literal white roses that bloom in between the whiterose pair.


**That Which Blooms In Between**

* * *

"Ruby, you do know that it's a bad business practice to keep accepting these gifts in place of actual lien."

"But Weiss! They need the lien more than we do. And besides, the stuff they give are usually more interesting than any chump change. Usually!"

Ruby walked in with her hands behind her back, clearly hiding something behind her back that isn't the lien that should have been in her pockets. Too bad she couldn't hide herself from Weiss' glare.

The two huntresses argued over finances except not really. At least it wasn't an argument at this point. Let the record show that they have argued about it before and they have reached a treaty. As long as Ruby didn't let her good grace get the better of their shared income then Weiss would allow pro bono jobs once in a while.

That didn't mean that Weiss wouldn't let Ruby get away with it without some other compensation while she's at it.

"Very confident." Weiss hid her smirk behind her hand. "In case you've forgotten, we too are in need of this 'chump change' you so fondly call for, I don't know... _spending._"

"Psshaw!" Ruby was quick to dismiss her partner's ridiculous accusations. "As if I could ever forget that! I know how spending works, Weiss."

"Oh, do you now?" The hand was dropped only to reveal Weiss' victorious grin in full glory. "I distinctly remember you trying and _failing _to negotiate payment for lodging using the farm produce we were rewarded with because you didn't have the heart to ask for lien."

"Hey! It's not my fault the innkeeper didn't know the best vegetables if it was shoved in their face… And I tried that!" Ruby puffed her cheeks at the memory.

Her face was red like apples they were given back then and definitely not red like the embarrassment she felt right now.

"I didn't hear any complaints from you when we ate the salad we made from them!"

"Is it good produce? Absolutely divine. Is it good currency? Not in this economy."

As much as Weiss enjoyed being right, she also enjoyed seeing just how red she could color Ruby's cheeks. This was one of those times that she got to enjoy both. And seeing that both of Ruby's hands were occupied, she was struggling to hold back all those erratic hand gestures she did when riled up. Ruby was wobbling so much that she had to catch herself from stumbling. Weiss definitely enjoyed that.

Although as adorable as Ruby looked right now, Weiss supposed that her partner deserved some mercy.

"So? What did we get this time?" She prompted, her lips still curved in a smile.

Now _that_ reignited Ruby's delight. In her own breeze, she dashed right in front of Weiss, her silver eyes so close and so clear that Weiss could see her own awe reflected in them. A trail of rose petals were swirling around them, the scent was both familiar and intoxicating.

Weiss felt her breath catch in the presence, in the experience, in just about _everything_, that is Ruby Rose.

And with a smile that was just as mesmerizing, Ruby held up their newly acquired treasure. "Ta dah! A tiny garden!"

It was as much of a garden that could possibly fit in a basket — except it wasn't really a garden. In fact, for the lack of bushes or grass or even soil, it made up for in blossoms. The tiny garden turned out to be a basket full of roses.

The roses were painted in the brightest shade of red and the most pale shade of white rivaling the sparkles of the finest gemstones. They were ephemeral just as much as they were precious.

And most importantly, they were theirs.

"Ruby… These are lovely." Weiss reached out and felt for herself just how beautiful they truly were.

"Yup!" Ruby's grin grew at first but just as quickly turned shy. "Also! Umm..." Her own cheeks were slowly competing with the reddest rose in the basket.

This did not go unnoticed to Weiss. Of course it wouldn't. After all, no matter how lovely these roses were, they could never truly take away her attention from the loveliest Rose in the room — or on Remnant, this was a fact mind you.

So at her partner's hesitance, she held her gaze expectantly waiting for her to speak up.

Which Ruby did in one rushed breath.

"CanIpleasedoyourhairprettyplease?"

Slowly, Weiss blinked.

"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that. Could you repeat that for me?" She heard her perfectly but she would never admit aloud to wanting to hear that again.

Still shy but just a bit braver, Ruby asked again, "Can I please... do your hair? Please? Pretty please? Weiss? ...Pretty Weiss?"

It wasn't a question of Weiss' beauty — never a question in Ruby's books — but it was just Ruby asking permission from Weiss who by the way, she thought was pretty and just had to point that out too.

Weiss could pick any red rose in the basket and her face would still be redder.

She refused to make eye contact after such a sincere request. Now Weiss was suddenly the shy one and a soft "Okay," passed through her lips.

"Okay? So that's a yes, right?" Ruby just like always was quick to gain confidence especially when armed with her partner's approval.

This only seemed to further incapacitate Weiss who could only nod demurely.

"Yay! Oooohh, this is gonna be awesome! Don't worry, Weiss! Leave this to your bestest partner, Ruby! When I'm done, you'll look even prettier than pretty! You'll look your prettiest! Prettier than prettiest even! You'll look prettiertest!"

That was obviously not an actual word but neither were Weiss' incoherent mumbles because she forgot how to form words after Ruby used up her vocabulary in compliments.

Thankfully, words weren't needed for what followed.

Perhaps there was a time when Weiss would never ever let her partner touch her hair.

She's seen Ruby decimate Grimm to dust, has observed her strength from those heavy blows, and other times Weiss has been on the receiving end of those during sparrings. Her hands were used to rough handling and hard hitting.

But she's also seen Ruby dance with Crescent Rose, has witnessed her finesse from flowing slashes, and quick precision shots. Her hands understood the importance of meticulousness and how even the smallest movements had purpose.

Weiss has never seen Ruby braid her hair… but that didn't mean she hasn't let her before.

She has in fact allowed her partner to do so, many times actually. It was simply hard for her to see when Ruby braided behind her back quite literally. The one time that Weiss tried to sneak at her partner's progress through a mirror, she got scolded with a "No peeking!"

So Weiss has never seen Ruby braid her hair —

But she liked to imagine what that looked like.

Ruby probably had her eyes narrowed with laser focus. That's the look Weiss would always catch her with when doing Crescent Rose maintenance, the same look Ruby got when she was truly concentrating. And Weiss knew for certain that Ruby was at peak focus because why else was she so quiet?

She felt nimble fingers smooth her hair, it was unnecessary but not unappreciated.

The top section of her hair was then gathered into a hairband, and then a second, lower section was gathered into another hairband. At this point, she probably looked like she had two ponytails, one high and the other lower.

From just that feel alone, she already knew which style Ruby was planning. It's a braid again but her partner never called them for what they simply were. Ruby dubbed them _hair-chains_ because of course they just had to remind her of weaponry.

So rather than a pull-through braid, Ruby would call it The Pain Hair-Chain — named aptly so after that one incident that Weiss insisted to never be brought up ever again.

But this wasn't just the usual The Pain Hair-Chain. No, this would be just a bit different with every rose that Ruby plucked from the basket beside Weiss.

Little did Ruby know that she wasn't the only one weaving roses… as Weiss picked her own rose for each one that her partner claimed.

"Aaaaand done!" Ruby proudly announced as soon as the final rose was set. Weiss could hear her grin from her squeal alone and it was contagious.

"May I?" She asked, her own smile growing.

To which Ruby nodded but since Weiss couldn't see that, she just ended up happily pulling her partner to the nearby full length mirror. When a soft gasp was heard, Ruby's grin grew wider while Weiss' jaw dropped.

The braid was already lovely enough from the hundreds of practice she's done before but… none of those practices ever had roses before.

Red and white blossomed in between the braid. They weren't just adding color but moreover, they added life. It looked as if Weiss' hair wasn't just hair but rather a sophisticated white vine which grew the loveliest of roses.

"Hehe, it's just like a bouquet! Only prettier! Because your hair is super pretty!" Ruby praised while one hand still cradled Weiss' braid full of roses.

It was unfair how the spontaneous compliment had just as much of an effect as this work of art that took minutes. "Flatterer. But…" She reached up with one hand to admire the craft until finally settling on top of her partner's hand. "Thank you. This isn't half-bad."

"Yay! You liked it!"

"Anyone would be a fool not to love it."

"Gasp! You said the L word! Wow! You really like it that much?"

"You heard what I said… And did you just say the word _gasp_?"

Ruby's quirky use of the language aside, Weiss was not to be outdone.

"While this has been a pleasant surprise..." Weiss met her partner's eyes through the mirror. "Now I suppose it's your turn."

Confused and without breaking eye contact, Ruby tilted her head. "Huh? It's my what?"

It's only then that Ruby noticed Weiss' other hand suspiciously hidden. That definitely got her curious.

"Wait how long have you been holding that… uhh…" She tried to but her partner was too quick and kept it just out of sight. "Uhh… whatever that is. Did you have that on you this whole time?"

"You only noticed it now?" Weiss giggled. And before her partner could whip out those puppy dog eyes, she beat her to it. "Now close your eyes. And no peeking."

"Not even a little?"

"You know the rules. If you peek, I can and _will _poke your eyes."

"Ugh, those are dumb rules!"

"They're only dumb if you break them. Now hush and stay still."

Despite her protests, Ruby was obedient. She did her best to be quiet and dared not move an inch. This was a difficult task given how excited she was but she would not disappoint Weiss.

And so Ruby waited... And waited… And waited some more… The waiting wasn't exactly exciting, it was the opposite of that, and Ruby did not do well with boring.

But she waited still.

Until finally something. A featherweight settled on top of her head. She waited just a bit more in case her partner wasn't done yet. But when nothing else happened, impatience got the best of her and so she whined,

"Can I look now?"

"It's _may _not can. But yes, you may look now."

Red and white circled the top of her head. Caught by their beauty, she almost forgot about the thorns. But there were no painful pricks on her skull only smoothed stems and velvety petals.

The rose circlet fit naturally on her as if just sharing the name made it her birthright for all roses to obey her unruly hair.

"I think you would look lovelier with a crown, don't you think so too?"

As soft as the petals were, and even softer than her partner's hair, Ruby saw Weiss with the softest of smiles. That only brought out the brightest of grins out of Ruby.

"Look, Weiss! Now we BOTH have crowns! We're like queens!"

Playing along, Weiss went down on one knee and kissed Ruby by the hand. "You look lovely, my queen."

Ruby couldn't tell if it was the affectionate title or the dramatic gesture that made her swoon. Probably both. Well since she's being given the royal treatment then she might as well enjoy it.

"You sound more like a knight than a queen." She hadn't quite let go of her partner's hand just yet. She gave it a fond squeeze.

"Have you considered that this queen is also a knight?" Weiss quipped.

"Wow! A knightly queen! A queenly knight! A knight queen!" Ruby's eyes shone with childlike wonder. In her heart, she had already accepted that knight queens were in fact an actual thing. "That's so cooool! _You're _so cool!"

The praise was well received with a courteous bow of Weiss' head since she was still kneeling. Despite the small gesture, she had pulled it off dashingly as expected of a knight queen.

"As a newly crowned queen, any royal decrees?" Weiss waited for her command.

Ruby blinked. "Well I uhhh…" Now that she thought about it, what did queens do anyways? "As queen, I umm… I appoint…"

She knew that knighting was a thing but Weiss was already a knight so that was moot. But her partner was expecting something although Ruby still didn't know what. So she just ended up winging it.

"I appoint you as… your uhh... point!"

That did not come out as eloquently as she hoped it would. This almost sounded as bad as the first few times she tried to talk fancy around Winter. Both sisters insisted that she never attempt that again for good reason.

Ruby visibly deflated. "I don't sound very much like a queen, don't I?"

"You're fine," Weiss reassured. Still not letting go of their joined hands, she finally stood just so she could kiss her partner on the cheek. "You already are my queen so you technically sound like one by default."

"Aww, thanks!" Her partner's support certainly bolstered her. Still, she felt like she could at least come up with something else.

That got her thinking again. What do queens do? Well if they were evil and had way too much time and power on their hands, they tried to poison young maidens. Bad example. What else do queens do? They ruled. They ruled over… That's it!

In her most regal voice, which was a faux accent that could have been better, Ruby suggested, "So as queens, how about a tour of our kingdom?"

This just might be Ruby's fanciest way of asking Weiss out on a date.

Naturally, Weiss had to reciprocate such extra effort with an elegant bow and a well placed kiss on Ruby's hand. "As you wish, my queen."

And so the two queens set forth to surveying their kingdom — with the most regal roses adorning them as proof of their royalty.

* * *

However even queens have to retire for the night.

The crown had been reluctantly put away first but only because Ruby wanted to undo Weiss' flower arrangement last.

Ruby pouted and grumbled behind Weiss as she began to pluck the roses from the braid. "Hmph!"

An unhappy partner did not bode well for Weiss. "What is it? I can hear you pouting from here."

"How do you know that I'm pouting?" Ruby asked and it sounded as though she was pouting harder.

"Partner intuition." Weiss shrugged. "Now tell me what's on your mind."

"It's just..." Ruby sighed. After taking out the last flower, she undid the braid next, fingers still longing for the color she had just plucked. "Don't you think that it's kinda sad that we gotta get rid of all of these roses? They looked so pretty on you."

Weiss would be lying if she said she didn't agree at all. To a certain extent, she shared the same sentiment. She was a bit disappointed to see Ruby's crown go but it just wasn't practical.

"Well what did you expect? They have to come off eventually. You don't expect me to sleep with these still in my hair, do you?" She reasoned.

"I know. It's just a waste, I think." Ruby sighed again. Wistful. "I wish you could keep them longer..."

There was only one appropriate response to that. And so, Weiss turned around to face Ruby, cradling her face, loving the way that her partner leaned into her touch. She felt something bloom inside her chest at such freely given affection that it was only right that she should return it tenfold.

"Well as long as I get to keep a certain Ruby Rose forever then all these other roses don't compare."

And though the line was unexpected from Weiss, Ruby was not at all surprised by just how much she loved this woman.

"That's not fair." Ruby leaned forward until her forehead gently bumped with Weiss'. With eyes closed, she whispered, "I'm the one who brought home the roses and yet you're the one saying all the awesome lines."

Weiss' breath was warm and it tickled. "I never overlook an opportunity when I see one. I'm a Schnee, remember?"

"Not for long..." Ruby mumbled under her breath, careful not to let her partner hear her.

After all, that would ruin the _other _surprise that she's been working on for weeks now. Just like how the roses came in red and white, Ruby might just happen to own a certain pair of rings in those colors.

Unlike the roses however, she was hoping that when these get put on, they would stay on — for the rest of their lives.

"Just you wait. Once I get my hands on some snow, I'll say something cool too!"

"Don't you dare accept snow for a job. We may be charitable but we're not that generous!"

The flowers may have only lasted a day but the feelings they brought still remain planted.

They continue to bloom.

Until they bloom into each other.

* * *

**A/N: **Do you believe in love at first sight? Because the first time I saw Weiss' V7 design, I was HEART EYES MOTHERFUCKER. And I just couldn't get the idea of roses in her braid and then the idea of Ruby having a crown of roses naturally followed. I've been lovesick ever since.

I actually wrote this oneshot _way before_ the volume aired but I never got around to posting it so here have it at the end of the volume. This one goes to all the whiterose shippers going strong and especially those who read the now complete fic **Thank Me Later! And Later Again!**. If you crave the softness but with plot then you might enjoy that!

PS - You could head over to ao3 for the **lovely bonus art** that goes with this fic! You're welcome!

**PPS - **I'm going to do a _small_ update for **Looks Like You Want to Touch** soon. Just extra content which I will be posting as soon as I finish **something fun that I have in the backburner.** It involves Ruby's sleeveless outfit, useless gay Weiss and a LOT of hijinks. _Keep an eye out for those!_

Until next time, don't forget to water your of whiteroses!


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